The Joys Of Being Grounded
by SophieAria
Summary: Stef is grounded after her adventure with the Goonies. The boredom begins to get to her and she finds herself with nothing to think about but Mouth. Can a surprise visit from the boy himself cure her boredom? Mouth/Stef


A/N: My very first Goonies fic, of course it's Mouth/Stef, what else could it be?

Disclaimer: Absolutely none of this is mine, except the plot. The characters belong to the film, I just like to play with them.

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><p>It was nearing two in the morning by the time Stef and her family arrived back home, and the only thing crossing Stef's mind was a confrontation with her bed. However, her father had another confrontation in mind.<p>

"Stephanie, sit down please."

"C'mon Dad, I just want my bed." Stef whined, but complied with the request and sat on the arm of the couch.

"What you did tonight was very irresponsible."

"You're lecturing me?" The blonde's eyes widened. She thought her family were just happy to have her back.

"Did you really believe that your actions were to have no consequence?"

"But Dad-"

"No 'buts' Stephanie. You're grounded for a week and that's the end of it." Stef's Dad's face was a pale shade of red getting darker and darker with every word, his fingers curling into fists slowly and deliberately.

"This is so unfair! I was hardly looking to end up in a cave being chased by some crazy people!" Stef couldn't believe she was being punished for events that were beyond her control. She hadn't asked to wind up in an underground tunnel set with booby traps and falling rocks and waterfalls.

"That is enough Stef!" Her father paused and Stef watched as his eyes closed and his lips formed the numbers one through to ten. Speaking in a much calmer voice, he said: "You're grounded and that's the end of it." He slowly unclenched his fists, pivoted on the spot and walked calmly up the stairs.

"I'm glad you're home Steffie." Stef's sister Sophie placed a calming hand on her shoulder before following her mother and father up the stairs.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Stef threw herself back onto the couch, accidentally landing on the remote and turning the TV on. The blonde fumbled and managed to mute the TV as she continued to watch the latest news headlines. The frown that crossed her features, carefully began to straighten out as Stef continued to watch the images onscreen. Staring back at her was Andy, Brand, Mickey, Data, Chunk, Sloth, Mouth and herself, with One Eyed Willie's ship, The Inferno, in the background. The newsreader's mouth moved animatedly, but no sound came out as Stef grinned at the image of the Goonies on the beach.

It had been an amazing day. Scary, but amazing. What had started out as a ride in Troy's car with Andy, had transpired into a full fledged run-from-the-bad-guys-and-find-One-Eyed-Willie treasure hunt. Despite having broken her glasses, and having more arguments with Mouth than she had figured ever physically possible, it had been a wonderful adventure. Although she'd never admit it, she had loved being an honorary Goonie for the day. Letting her gaze refocus on the screen, Stef couldn't help but smile at the image of herself and Mouth embracing heartily as if they'd been best friends forever. It had surprised her that despite their volatile friendship, they actually had found themselves getting along quite nicely. He had even complimented her looks (even if it was in a slightly backwards way), and had thanked her for offering to save his life. Letting a blush settle over her features, Stef decided it was finally time for the confrontation with her bed.

The next morning, Andy gingerly made her way up the garden path to Brand's house. She carefully stepped over the broken screen door, and tapped on the glass.

"Hey, Andy!" Mickey grinned as he let her inside.

"Hey Mickey, how're you doing?" The brunette replied as she followed him.

Before he got the chance to answer, Mouth had let himself in and sat down in the armchair.

"Hey, Andy! No Stef? I thought she was attached to your hip." Mouth smirked.

"She's grounded," Andy sighed. "Her parents are a bit old fashioned."

"Oh." Mouth was uncharacteristically silent as he pulled his comb from the pocket of his jeans and ran it through his hair.

"Andy!" Brand bounded down the stairs, crossing the room in two strides and kissed his girlfriend lightly.

"Shame, shame!" Data grinned from the doorway.

Mickey grinned and got up to greet his friend whilst Mouth slipped out the front door unnoticed by the others.

Stef was bored. Normally she would've gone for a walk down to the store, played a few games, read a few magazines, bought a pack of gum. She chewed thoughtfully on her last piece, blowing a pink bubble that she could see reflected in the window. The blonde sat on the windowsill looking down over Astoria, her forehead resting on the cool glass of the window. She let out a small sigh and decided to wander downstairs to see what the rest of the family were up to.

"Hey Stef, wanna play a couple of card games?" Sophie asked from her position on the floor.

Stef shrugged and sank down beside her older sister.

"You were on the news again this morning." Sophie smiled, placing the cards on the floor to quickly tie her hair up in a plait, keeping it from her face.

"I saw it last night, pretty cool huh?" Stef smiled, her grumpy mood lifting slightly at the prospect of spending time with her sister. As Sophie was a good few years older than Stef, she was away at college and only came home during the holidays. Sophie was tall, blonde and slim and Stef admired her in every way possible.

"I can go back to college and tell everyone my little sis is famous!" Sophie grinned, elbowing her sister gently in the ribs. "And I get to tell them that her boyfriend's famous too." The blonde winked disarmingly and Stef's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?" She asked incredulously.

"That cute kid you were hugging last night. He looks a bit young for you but he's still attractive." Sophie laughed as she dealt the cards out quickly.

"Mouth? He is definitely not my boyfriend!"

"His name's Mouth, is it?" She paused, pretending to mull this new information over. With a decisive nod she continued: "Hmmm, cute."

"Soph, drop it! His name's Clark, he's just another Goonie." Stef felt her cheeks begin to flush at the thought of Mouth being her boyfriend.

Knowing she'd ruffled her sister sufficiently, Sophie ceased conversation and began to order her cards neatly. Out of the corner of her eye, Sophie could see Stef thinking. It was a good couple of minutes before Stef opened her mouth again.

"All we ever do is argue, I don't think I'd even have classed him as a friend until yesterday!" She cried, frustrated.

"Who are we talking about sweetie?" Sophie smiled slyly.

Stef rolled her eyes.

"Shut up." She sighed heavily, letting her eyes flutter closed. "Anyway, now that I'm grounded for a week we'll have gone back to the way we were by the time I get out of here. I bet none of the others were grounded." Stef crossed her arms over her chest.

Sophie smiled lightly at her sister.

"I wouldn't worry; if this Mouth is as big a pain as you say he is I'm sure he'll find a way to annoy you even whilst grounded." The blonde stood up, dumping her cards on the floor next to Stef's untouched pile.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked.

"It wouldn't be a fair game if I played you right now." Sophie shrugged.

"Why not?"

"Your head is in the clouds with lover boy." Sophie winked.

Stef sighed, knowing her sister was right. She slid the cards back in their packet and left them on the table.

The blonde looked up and out of the living room window, noticing it was beginning to get dark. She wandered into the kitchen to find her mother cooking happily and decided to sit at the table and wait for dinner.

"Night, Brand." Andy smiled shyly up the taller boy.

"Night, Andy." Brand leant down to kiss her softly, his arms wrapping gently around her waist as he pulled her in closer. A beep of a car horn pulled them away from one another regretfully.

"I'll come and see you tomorrow." Brand promised as he placed another kiss to her forehead before gently pushing her in the direction of her parent's car.

Andy nodded and opened the car door, waving to Brand as he re-entered his house.

"Hey, Andy."

"Mouth! What are you doing here?" Andy cried as the teenager appeared as if from nowhere.

"I meant to ask you earlier, can you give me directions to Stef's house? I wanna go throw things at her window." Mouth ran his comb through his hair as Andy rolled her eyes.

"If that's really what you're going to do then I won't tell you."

"Ah relax Andy, the poor girl's probably been going out of her mind with boredom what with you at Mickey's and she doesn't have any other friends. I'm just going to visit." Mouth smirked.

Feeling guilty for not going to see her best friend Andy shrugged. She relayed the details of Stef's address to an eager Mouth before reaching over to ruffle his hair.

"Don't come on too strong Mouth, Stef's a romantic at heart." She grinned as she got in her parent's car.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mouth felt the blush creep over his cheeks as he watched Stef's best friend. "I'm just going to wind her up. See if I can wind up her parents too." He grinned, trying to shake the blush from his features.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Andy called out the window.

"Not a lot then!" Mouth shouted back. The teenager grabbed his bike and began to cycle towards his destination only realizing halfway there that he forgot to ask which window was Stef's.

"I'm going to bed." Stef sighed as she stood up from the couch.

"Already?" Sophie asked.

"Well, there's nothing else to do. May as well catch up on my sleep." She shrugged, hovering in the doorway. "Night, Soph."

"Night, Stef."

The blonde ascended the staircase, turning right at the corridor to her bedroom. Immediately, she flopped backwards onto the bed letting out a deep sigh.

Today had been desperately uneventful, but after her discussion with Sophie she had been left with a lot to think about. To have Mouth as her boyfriend would mean a lot of different things. For starters, it would mean a lot of arguing, a lot of fighting, and would probably result in a lot of break ups and make ups. She would also be under a lot of criticism from both her parents, Andy, Brand and countless others for dating someone a lot younger than herself. The more she thought about it, the worse an idea it became. But surprisingly, Stef found that she didn't care about any of the reasons why she shouldn't date him and became more and more in love with the idea of actually dating him. Mouth could be sweet, kind, caring and gentle when the need called for it and only yesterday he had proved himself a worthy candidate for her affection by showing that he owned each of those qualities. In more ways than one, Mouth had proven that he could be a perfect match for her. His quick wit was matched by hers, and their sense of humor was freakishly similar. Not to mention the bucket load of butterflies Stef felt the second Mouth was in range of her.

Tap.

Stef sat up slowly. There seemed to be something tapping at her window. It was a cautious sound, like someone testing the waters.

Tap.

The blonde stood up and began to walk towards the window, afraid of what she might find. If she had learnt anything from her adventure yesterday it was to always expect the worst.

Tap.

Stef slid the window open and leant over her windowsill. She almost screamed when she saw the figure emerging from the bushes underneath her house.

"Stef?"

"Mouth?" Her eyes wide, Stef watched Mouth let out a huge sigh of relief.

"I've been throwing stones at the wrong windows for half an hour now." He called up to her, "I found you!"

"Thank God no-one else is in their bedrooms!" Stef grit her teeth. "What are you doing here?" Her tone sounded angry, but from the glint in her eyes Mouth could tell she was far from cross.

"Oh y'know, I just felt like a trip to the moon and wondered if you wanted to come with me? What do you think I'm doing here?" Mouth retorted.

Stef growled lightly.

"You're not coming up!"

"So I came all this way to see you for nothing?"

"You came to see me?" Stef asked, momentarily thrown.

"No, I came to steal your dad's fishing equipment for a spot of late night fishing." Mouth replied sarcastically.

"Fine." Stef rolled her eyes and pointed to the drainpipe to the left of her window. "If you climb that you can walk across the hanging baskets to get into my room."

"Are you crazy?" Mouth asked. The hanging baskets weren't particularly wide; barely enough for a size 3 let alone a size 5. "I'll never make it! Do you want me to fall and die?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind…" Stef smiled, assuring him she was only joking. "Stay there, I'll be down in a minute."

The blonde removed herself from the window and crossed her bedroom to enter the corridor. Luckily for Stef, Sophie had just opened her bedroom door.

"Soph, I need you to-"

"Cover for you, I know." She paused, enjoying the look of confusion that spread across her younger sister's face. "This is all very Romeo and Juliet y'know. Maybe he's not such a pain after all." Sophie stopped again before grinning. "Oh and you might want to tell Mouth that my window has a dent in it." Ruffling her sister's hair, Sophie shot Stef a look and descended the stairs.

"I'll be back soon."

"Don't worry about it, I've got you covered."

Thanking the Gods that she had such a wonderful sister, Stef returned to her bedroom sliding a cardigan over her shoulders before exiting through the window.

She made it safely down the drainpipe and looked around for Mouth.

"You climbed the drainpipe?" Mouth asked incredulously as he appeared from the other side of her house.

"Yeah, well, I'm not a wimp," She retorted. "So where are we going?"

"Uh."

"You don't know do you?"

"Well, not exactly," Mouth frowned. "It's okay, I'm good at improvisation."

The two began to walk at a relatively slow pace, enjoying the peaceful night and the beautiful surroundings.

"So really, why did you come to see me?" Stef asked, her focus firmly on a spot on the horizon.

"Figured you'd be bored after a day of being grounded." Mouth shrugged, his fingers accidentally brushing Stef's as they continued their walk. He attempted to ignore the feeling of an electrical current running through his fingers and up his arm, warming his entire body just from her touch.

"How'd you know I'm grounded?" She asked, her voice quieter than Mouth was used to.

"Andy." He replied easily, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

The pair continued their walk in silence until Stef noticed they were taking the path towards Cannon beach, near the Lighthouse Lounge.

"The beach?" She questioned.

"Thought it might be nice to go back."

"Mouth-"

"You can call me Clark y'know." He paused, as if wondering why he had said that out loud. "But only you."

"Which do you prefer, Mouth or Clark?" Stef asked, still refusing to look at him.

There appeared to be an unspoken agreement between the two of them, tonight there would be no sarcastic remarks, or stupid fights. Behind the nicknames, the age difference and the jokes. Tonight was just about them and who they really were.

Mouth looked to the ground. It was mere hours ago that he, Mickey, Chunk and Data had all ridden their bikes across this ground, unknowingly walking into one giant trap. He didn't quite know how to answer Stef's question, he liked both names but it always seemed more personal whenever anyone actually called him Clark.

"I don't know."

The pair rounded a corner looking out at the view of the sea crashing against the giant rocks that had led them to the Lighthouse Lounge.

"I like Clark." She stated.

"You're sounding like Sloth." He grinned at her, and she laughed lightly, finally turning her gaze to his. The two shared a smile and the butterflies that had vacated her the second she had left Mouth and the others on the beach, returned in full force. Gently, Clark slid his hand into Stef's, watching her face to gauge her reaction. When all she did was shift their fingers so they were interlocked, Clark grinned to himself happily.

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, the pair came to a stop by the rocks where they were reunited with their parents yesterday. Clark reluctantly removed his fingers from Stef's to sit up on the biggest and flattest rock overlooking the beach. He patted the space beside him and with little effort, Stef sat down in silence.

"Y'know, I think this is the quietest you've ever been." Stef stated, trying to break the silence between them with a joke.

"Sometimes, moments like these don't need words." He paused "I think I learnt that yesterday."

The blonde nodded, feeling the chill from the sea and pushing herself towards the warm body beside her. Clark carefully placed an arm around her shoulders, drawing her into him even more as they watched the waves crash upon the shore.

Stef let out a content sigh. Sitting here with Clark, nothing else seemed to matter. It was one of those moments that Stef knew she'd remember forever. She let her head fall to the side and onto his shoulder, the heat from his body keeping her warm and safe.

"I'm really glad yesterday happened." Clark finally spoke up.

"Yeah, Mickey and Data get to keep their houses and we all got to go on an adventure that most kids can only dream about."

Clark made a noise in the back of his throat to let Stef know he agreed.

"If yesterday hadn't happened, I wouldn't know you like I know you now." He added.

"Clark-"

Whatever she had been about to say was lost in the wind, as she pulled her head back from his shoulder to look into his eyes. Stef took a sharp intake of breath as she realized just how close they were, the butterflies returned in truck loads and the blonde felt herself getting lost in the moment.

"Stef, I really, really like you."

It was barely a whisper, and over the noise of the waves Stef very nearly missed it.

Without missing a beat, Stef closed the gap between them, kissing him soundly on the lips. Clark seemed momentarily stunned, as if he hadn't quite expected that, but he quickly caught on and began to kiss her back. Stef shifted slightly, sitting as close to Clark as possible, her arms wrapped around his neck. It didn't take long for Clark to realize she wanted him, so he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her body flush against his. He deepened the kiss eagerly, the pair of them sliding off the rock and onto their feet to allow them better access to one another.

Eventually the couple had to break apart for air. Stef leant her forehead on Clark's, her eyes still closed. A comfortable silence surrounded the pair who were lost in a moment.

"I wasn't expecting that." Clark whispered.

The moment was gone and Stef pulled back, her eyes wide. Time was beginning to slip away from them, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the start of a sunrise.

"I need to get back. I promised I wouldn't be too long." She told him, attempting to keep the panic out of her voice.

Clark nodded, thinking he had pushed her too far and upset her, judging by the tone of her voice and the size of her eyes.

"Do you want me to walk you back?" He asked, assuming it was worth a shot.

Stef seemed to consider this for a moment. The walk back would allow her time to attempt to talk to Clark, and it would also ensure she got home safely without losing her way. She wasn't as familiar with Cannon beach as Clark was.

"I'd like that." She nodded.

The walk had started in complete silence and once again Stef was reminded that their adventure yesterday had forced the group to grow up. Clark wasn't the same obnoxious little boy she had spent all day with yesterday. Today he was different, definitely more mature.

Clark looked upset at something; he was practically dragging his feet along the ground as he walked them back to Stef's house. Bravely, Stef reached for his hand, starting slightly as she felt that little electrical current shoot through her whole body again. Clark looked up at her, surprised that she had been the one to take his hand. Then again, he should've known it would be her; that was Stef through and through. She was brave, intelligent, witty and one of the funniest people he had ever met. Maybe he'd gotten his signals mixed up and she wasn't mad at him for taking things too far. Perhaps she really did have to get home. Clark smiled, feeling much happier than he had when they'd left the beach.

All too soon they were back at Stef's house, stood outside her window.

"Aren't your parents going to be worried about you?" Stef asked, her question being the first since they had left the beach. Clark shook his head.

"I don't think they've even noticed I've gone." He smiled sadly. The conversation suffered a mild lull as the teenagers looked anywhere but each other. Biting the bullet Stef began:

"Thanks for tonight; I really needed to get out of the house."

"No problem, I know what it's like to be grounded." Clark shrugged, allowing himself to look at Stef, a light smile settling on his features.

"We're gonna get a lot of shit for this y'know."

"Nah, like I said, my parents won't have even have noticed I'm gone."

"That's not what I meant."

Clark looked confused until once again Stef closed the distance between them, placing a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Oh."

Stef grinned.

"Come and see me tomorrow, I could introduce you to my sister before she leaves for college."

"Sister? There's another Stef running around town? Poor world!"

Stef rolled her eyes and hit him on the shoulder.

"There's still so much you don't know about me." She winked and began to walk over to the drainpipe outside her window.

"Stef, wait!" Clark caught her wrist and tugged her back to him.

"What is it Cl-"

The blonde was cut off by Clark's lips placed firmly over hers. She obliged him happily, allowing him to deepen the kiss as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her ever closer.

"I… have… to go!" Stef managed between kisses. She gave into temptation one last time, kissing him sweetly before she whispered: "Goodnight, Clark."

"Goodnight, Stef."

The second Stef lay back on her bed she allowed herself to grin and laugh quietly to herself. Maybe there was a positive to being grounded after all.

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><p>Okay, now don't be too harsh! I am infact English so I had to keep reminding myself that actually this film is American. So if I have anything wrong, spelling or I accidentally wrote 'sofa' instead of 'couch' just go with it ;) Or tell me, either way!<p>

Hope you enjoyed, if you did, let me know.


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